The Unexpected
by SkyTheUpLight
Summary: It's a new year and Hermione finds herself stuck with Draco Malfoy for the entire year. What she once thought was dreadful might just turn out to be the love of her life. Please read and review!
1. Chapter One

Harry Potter, the new Head Girl, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, and Ron Weasley sat on the Hogwarts Express, on their way to their seventh year of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione and Harry were sitting quite closely, Ron noticed. He voiced his thoughts aloud.   
  
"Oy. What's with you two, lately? Is there something going on?" he asked.   
  
"No, Ron, why do you ask?" Hermione answered.   
  
"Well, it's just that you two have been a bit ... clingy towards each other lately. Gin and me have been noticing you two, and you're all over each other!" He countered.  
  
"Well, mate, nothing's going on. You'd be the first to know if anything were to happen ... though I can't say that would happen any time soon ... you know that Hermione and I are like brother and sister..." Harry said, thoughtfully. They paused for a moment.   
  
"Well, I think I'll go and see what Ginny is up to. All this Harry and I talk is getting to me!" Hermione said, as she left in search for Ginny. They hadn't shared a compartment this year. Ginny was with her friends, Luna Lovegood, Lavender Brown, and Padma and Parvati Patil. She and Hermione had become very close with these people over the spam of the last two years, though Hermione thought they were an odd group to be seen.   
  
"Hey guys, mind if I join you? The guys are kind of getting stupid, and I don't like being the only girl in there," she asked them.   
  
"Sure Hermione, we were just having a conversation about ... current events." Ginny answered as Hermione sat down, the rest of the girls giggling.  
  
"Current events? Anything I would be interested in?" Hermione asked, with a raised eyebrow.   
  
"Well, I'm sure you would be interested ... we were talking about how absolutely hot Draco Malfoy looks this year," Parvati giggled.  
  
"Draco Malfoy? Not the great bouncing ferret we all know and hate?" Hermione asked, shocked.   
  
"Hermione, you obviously haven't seen him this year. Merlin has he gotten better looking!" Lavender said, excitedly.  
  
"You should see him, Mione. You know how he used to slick back his hair and used all that gelly nastiness? Well, this year he doesn't use any of that. And from the looks of it, he's been working out... ooh I want to drool every time I think of him!" Padma squealed.   
  
"Well, I'm sure he's simply delicious, but I don't think I could get past the fact that he used to get his kicks by calling me 'Mudblood' all the time," Hermione countered.  
  
"Hermione, you know as well as I do that he's changed after the war. He fought on our side, and worked as a spy for Dumbledore! Surely that can make you see his true self!" Parvati fought. "If he calls you Mudblood again, I'll completely understand. But if he doesn't..."  
  
"But that's just it. He probably will. He may have been on the right side of the war, but I cant see him changing so drastically," Hermione turned to Ginny. "Ginny, what do you say about all of this?"  
  
"Well, I think you girls are making more of this than necessary. I mean, we're just judging whether or not he's a hottie, right? What difference does it make if he's got a crappy personality? I personally don't think it makes any. He's hot. That's it," she declared.  
  
"Well, Ginny you're right, it doesn't make any difference. Malfoy may be hot but why should that matter to any of us? It's not like he'd give any of us the time of day unless it called for making fun of us or putting us down," Hermione stated.  
  
"Well, I think he's just a superficial brat that girls swoon after because he's got pretty blonde hair," Luna interjected. Every one turned around to look at her.   
  
"I agree, Luna. Thank you," Hermione said with an approving look.  
  
"Right. Well, I'm going to go see what the boys are up to. Be back in a minute," Ginny said and exited the compartment. Not a minute later she returned and practically shrieked, "Ooh he's coming! Draco Malfoy is coming this way!" The girls bounced around so they would be able to get the best look at him. Sure enough, Malfoy appeared, smirk firmly in place. He slid open the compartment door.  
  
"Granger, the Heads are supposed to meet in the first compartment of the train in five minutes. Mustn't be late," he smirked once again and left. Hermione was about to get up and follow him when his words really sunk in. He was the Head Boy? Oy.  
  
"Ooh Hermione! You get to share a room with...with THAT! Yay! Ok, put in a good word for me, will you? Eeeee!" Lavender was practically bouncing with excitement.  
  
"Guys, you all need to chill out. Just because I'm going to be rooming with... Draco Malfoy... doesn't mean we'll become friends or anything. Just calm down!" Hermione said as she walked out, following the retreating form of Draco Malfoy, not before making a detour to Harry and Ron informing them about her new whereabouts.  
  
"Guys, I have to go to the first compartment, you know Ron, where the Heads and Prefects meet. Oh, you won't believe who they've got lined up for Head Boy this year!" Hermione said.  
  
"Oh, I think I know," Harry interjected. "Draco Malfoy?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, how did you know?" Hermione replied.  
  
"Well, Hermione, it's not that hard to figure out. If they haven't got Harry as Head Boy, who else are they going to get? Come now," Ron said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"Well, all I know is that I have to get up there. I just came in here to tell you where I'd be so you wouldn't worry. I'll see you guys later," she said and exited the compartment to the good-byes of her friends.  
  
She walked along the corridor of the train, looking in the compartments as she walked. She couldn't believe that she was the Head Girl and that this was her last year at Hogwarts. Not only that, but she had to room with Malfoy the entire year. She hoped that at least they would have a little distance, she didn't know what she'd do if she had to be very close to him.  
  
She walked into the compartment to see Professor McGonagall as well as Draco Malfoy and this year's Prefects waiting for her. She must admit it was a shock seeing her there, she had not seen a professor on the Hogwarts Express since Professor Lupin... err... Remus had been on it back in third year.  
  
"Finally, Granger. I didn't come and get you for nothing," Malfoy greeted her, evil grin on his face.  
  
"That will be enough, Mr. Malfoy. Hello Ms. Granger, thank you for joining us. Now, as you all know, you ten will be the leaders of the school this year. I suppose you two know just what type of responsibilities you will have to take care of with these titles?" she asked, looking at Malfoy and Hermione. They nodded. "Good, I don't have any time to explain them, I must go talk to the driver. But I would like to see the two of you outside for one minute, if you would," she said, leaving the compartment and was followed by the two Heads.  
  
"As you may know, Professor Dumbledore has opted to get the two Heads a separate dormitory. He would like to try to encourage House unity, and I don't believe he is wrong in doing so. You will get, along with your SEPARATE dormitories, a library and a mini kitchen, as Dumbledore thinks you have well earned them. Your common room will be shared with Prefects, though they will stay in their own dormitories until Professor Dumbledore chooses to relocate them into the dorms he has set up for them. Now, when you get into the castle you will find your portrait right next to the portrait of fruit, which leads you to the kitchen. All you have to do is tickle the pear to get in there, and a house elf will assist you with anything you need," Hermione fought hard not to laugh. She already knew how to get into the kitchens, and had used this ability to the fullest last year when Harry or Ron was down. She would take them to the kitchens for some tea and they would talk. They had become much closer last year, and she was glad. McGonagall continued, "The portrait is of Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. The password is 'find the chamber,' you can imagine who made it. I must be leaving you now. I will trust you to fill in the others, as you both have been Prefects before. Good day," she said and left for the conductor's compartment.  
  
"Ok Granger, all we have to do is tell them to patrol the hallways every once in a while and make sure they keep an eye on the idiots. Got it?" Malfoy said, not waiting for an answer as he walked back into the compartment.  
  
"All right, what you twerps have to do is patrol the train every now and then, make sure no one's doing anything stupid. You cannot take points away from the students and they know it. So don't even try to threaten them with that. When at school McGonagall will tell you everything you need to know. But as for right now, just go patrol and do your jobs," Malfoy demanded. They all scattered, intimidated.  
  
"So, Granger, now that they're all working hard like good little Prefects, what say we go and get back to our friends? They've got it covered, I'd say," Malfoy asked. Was he actually asking her a question, and not being a jerk about it? Shocking.  
  
"Sure Malfoy, but we need to tell them how to get into the common room, I'm sure we will have passwords to get into our rooms, themselves. I'd dare say they really have no idea that they're sharing a common room with us?" Hermione asked, just as politely as he had.  
  
"No, before you came in she covered all that and just went over it with us because you weren't there. Let's go now, shall we?" He said and left without a good-bye.  
  
"This is going to be an interesting year," Hermione said as she walked back to the girls' compartment to tell them everything.   
  
---  
  
Hey guys! I just wanted to say that I've put a lot of work into this, the ideas are forming in my head as we speak! If you came here expecting this to be a Hermione/ Draco and you saw Ron's comment about Harry and Hermione, please don't be too disgusted. But if you're ok with both pairings (HHr DHr) than this is the story for you! I don't want to give away too many details (that'll spoil the fun!) but i plan on making this fic change many times.. and not just with Hermione! Please review, I won't be big- headed and say that reviews don't matter to me. Because they do. I'm basing the continuation of this story on the amount of reviews I get.. and i don't want to have to stop the story, so, please..make me happy.. Review! Thanks.  
  
Sara - Skytheuplight - :] 


	2. Chapter Two

Hey! I was so excited about writing this chapter I started the day after I posted the first chapter! The bad thing is that when I went to write it, my computer shut down. Stupid rain. Florida is a bad place, sometimes. –Sigh- oh well. I'm still excited about this next chapter; I'm trying to be different from other fics I've read, so this chapter is crucial. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so enjoy! :]  
  
---  
  
Hermione walked back to the end of the train, where her friends were awaiting her. She couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy was being so nice to her, or that she had to room with him! She just didn't understand Professor Dumbledore sometimes. She reached the end of the train and decided to go to Harry and Ron's compartment first, as talking to them would take up less time.  
  
As she walked up to their compartment door, she looked in and took in the surroundings. Ron and Harry were talking with the other boys very animatedly, about Quidditch no doubt. She decided that they needed some time that was just them and 'the guys' like she needed some time that was just her and 'the girls'. They didn't have to be on their toes all the time, trying to make sure they wouldn't upset Hermione, they needed their space and she respected that. They really have grown up over the years, she thought with a sigh. She walked into the compartment.  
  
"Hey guys. I just came back from the meeting with McGonagall. Turns out that the rumor about the Heads having to share dormitories is true. But it's okay Ron," She added, seeing the look on her friend's face, "they aren't joined. You needn't worry."  
  
"Well good, because if that slimy git ever tried anything on you I don't know what I'd do!" Ron exclaimed. Harry nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah, he is the type to try something on a harmless victim. I don't like the fact that you have to be in such close quarters with him, but if he ever DOES try something on you, you know who to call. We'll be there for you no matter what," Harry informed her, while Ron nodded to show his consent.  
  
"That goes for us, too, Hermione," Seamus said, speaking for Neville and Dean. She smiled at them.  
  
"Well, thank you all for your concern, but I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. Now I must be off, there are some girls in another compartment I need to tend to. I'll see you all later," she said and left with a wave.  
  
As she was walking to the girl's compartment she decided to have some fun with the girls. They were easily excited at the moment, and she decided to use that to her advantage. She had a plan. When she walked through the sliding door she plastered the largest grin she could muster and a dreamy expression on her face. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.  
  
"Hermione, what's with the look? How did the meeting go?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Oh, Ginny! Malfoy – Draco – was so great! He was being so kind; I could hardly believe it! First we had McGonagall instruct us as to what we should tell the Prefects, and then we had some alone time. Now we only talked for about five minutes but he still got to me! What a charmer! He said that he was so sorry about calling me a Mudblood all these years, and that he's been childish and juvenile about it the whole time!" Hermione said, looking around. She saw that all the other girls were in awe, except Ginny. She knew her best friend too well to be tricked into believing something so absurd. She shared a look with Hermione saying 'I'll play along' and Hermione continued.  
  
"He said that he couldn't wait to share a dorm with me this year, as it would bring us closer. And guess what?" she asked. She didn't happen to see Ginny's eyes drift to the door, nor did she see a certain blonde raise a finger to his mouth, quieting her. Here came the best part, "He asked me to have dinner with him tonight, a candle-lit dinner for two in our mini kitchen. Oh, I'm so excited!" she said and added a little clap to show excitement. It was time to break it to them.  
  
"Want to know the best part?" she asked. They all nodded. "The entire thing is made up! Fictional. I could be a writer when I grow up!" she said, with a snort of laughter. Ginny started laughing along with her, getting disapproving looks from their friends. They didn't appreciate being tricked, it turned out. All laughing stopped, however, when they heard a voice from the doorway.  
  
"Great story, Granger," came the voice of Draco Malfoy. "My favorite part was when I "admitted" to being childish and juvenile. Excellent touch, if I do say so myself," he said. "Though you were wrong on one account... It wasn't fictional. Not completely, at least. I'll see you later, Granger," he said and left with a smirk, Hermione staring after him.  
  
Hermione was in shock. She didn't know that he was standing in the doorway, or else she would not have continued for as long as she did! Had he heard the whole thing? Oh boy.  
  
"Ginny! Why didn't you tell me he was standing there? I made a complete fool out of myself in front of him, and no one decided that they could help me?" she asked, looking around the compartment. Lavender spoke first.  
  
"You shouldn't have decided to trick us in the first place," she said, laughing. "I'm sorry Hermione, but that was funny!"  
  
"It's fine. I guess I had what was coming to me, but do me a favor. Next time, please WARN me when I'm making a complete and total idiot of myself!" she said, laughing as well as the rest.  
  
Ron appeared at the doorway, trying to see what was going on. "What is all this noise in here? What's so funny?" he asked, a confused look on his face. Hermione was the first to recover.  
  
"Oh, nothing for you to worry about Ronald, just having a good old chat about... current events," she answered, sending them all into fits of laughter yet again.  
  
"Bloody girls," Ron said as he left, shaking his head.  
  
---  
  
The girls were getting a bit tired of being on the train for so long. Ginny decided to start some friendly conversation, and learn some facts at the same time.  
  
"So, if I were to ask everyone in here who they fancied, what would you say?" she asked, grin on her face.  
  
"Well, I would say that I'm tired of keeping it a secret, and I'm just dying to tell someone!" Padma said, leaning forward as if to tell some big story.  
  
"I think that if everyone else told me who they fancied, I might tell you who I fancy," Lavender said, almost blushing. "What about you, Hermione?" she asked, putting the spotlight on Hermione.  
  
"Well, I suppose I could go last, as long as we all hear who Ginny fancies," she said, looking at Ginny with an angelic smile.  
  
"Sure, but I'm second to last," she said, looking at the others. "Who wants to go first?"  
  
"I will. I fancy Neville Longbottom," Luna stated simply.  
  
"Neville?" Ginny asked, unable to believe that anyone would ever go after Neville Longbottom. He was a great guy, yes, but she never would have thought that someone would actually have a crush on him.  
  
"Yes, of course Neville. He's so brave..." she stated and went back to reading her magazine, The Quibbler.  
  
"Well, that's... shocking to say the least. Who's next?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I'll go," Padma said. Boy, she really wanted to get this out, didn't she? "Well, there's not really any good choices from my House are there? Sadly, the answer is no. So, I've been looking at your House, guys. Well, you know that boy, Dean?" everyone looked up at that. "I saw him last year and we got to talking and all that. But it was the end of the year, so nothing happened then. We exchanged addresses and have been writing all summer. Well, two weeks ago, he wrote me an interesting letter. In it, he wrote that he liked me a lot and wanted to know if I liked him as well. He said he hoped I did, because he didn't want me to reject him when he asked me to be his girlfriend!" she said, excitedly.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Padma! So that's who you've been writing all summer! I was beginning to think it was Neville Longbottom, the way you were hiding the letters from me! No offense Luna," Parvati added. "Why didn't you tell me when he asked? What did you say?" she asked, squealing with surprise and excitement.  
  
"Well, he told me not to tell anyone, but I've been dying to tell you all so badly. Do you know how hard it is for me to keep something from all of you? Wow. Well, I answered him that I did in fact like him, and that I would accept if he were to ask me. And a pink rose, my favorite, accompanied the next post I got from him. He asked me to be his girlfriend! We're going out for about two weeks now!" she said, happily. "But enough about me, what about you guys? Parvati, I haven't heard about your mysterious little partner yet."  
  
"Well, it's not quite as romantic as yours, but you know Dean's best friend, Seamus? I've liked him for quite some time, and about a week ago he sent me a letter confessing the fact that he's liked me since fourth year, but didn't have the courage to say anything about it. He didn't know why he sent the letter so close to school, and quite frankly neither do I, but all I care about is the fact that we're meeting in the common room tonight to... discuss some things," Parvati said, with a content sigh. "Lavender?  
  
"I think we all know who I fancy. Ginny, would you hate me terribly if I told you that I liked your brother?" Lavender asked, a little fear in her eyes when she turned to Ginny.  
  
"Of course not, Lavender. I think he fancies you, too. This summer I asked him, and he wouldn't answer. But when Fred and George asked him about you, he blushed more than he did for any other girl. Now all you have to do is convince the git that you like him and he will get off his lazy arse and ask you out!" Ginny said to laughs of the girls around her.  
  
"Okay, Gin. Your turn. And don't try to get out of it, either. We will get it out of you even if it takes the truth potion to do it!" Hermione said with a mock- straight face.  
  
"Right. Well, I used to have a huge crush on Harry; we all know that. And remember how in third year I said I had gotten over him? Well, I did, but I think I like him again, after fourth year. He included me, and I won't be forgetting that any time soon..." Ginny started out strong, ended up blushing. The other girls did not look shocked.  
  
"Ginny, I did believe that you stopped liking him back in my fourth year. And in my fifth year you further proved that you didn't by going out with Michael. But I did see that you liked him last year, I think we all did," Hermione said and looked around to see the nods of her friends. "Yes. Well, just know that I don't think the feeling isn't returned. That's all I'll say there," she said, with a wink.  
  
"Well, I'll keep that in mind. Now. Stop stalling, and tell us who YOU fancy. I think we're all interested here," Ginny said, smile on her face.  
  
"Well, umm... lovely weather we're having, eh?" she said, trying to get the attention off of her.  
  
"Hermione, stop trying to change the subject. I know a powerful truth spell and if you don't stop being so childish, I'll use it on you!" Parvati said.  
  
"Guys, I don't like anyone. That's the truth. Do any of you believe me?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Hermione, I want to but I'm afraid I'm going to have to see if you're telling the truth. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt one bit and you won't even remember I used this on you. Reveale!" Parvati yelled.  
  
"Now, Hermione. Tell us the truth. Who do you like?" Lavender asked with a smirk on her face. The girls were really enjoying themselves.  
  
"Well, I don't really like anyone. But I can't say I'm not in a way looking forward to rooming with Draco Malfoy. And I don't like Ron, like everyone thinks. He's too much of an older brother to ever like," Hermione replied, a glazed look in her eyes. Lavender looked relieved.  
  
"Finite!" Parvati yelled.  
  
"So, you all believe me right? You won't use a silly spell on me, will you?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Of course not, Hermione," Parvati answered.  
  
Little did they know, a certain blonde Slytherin was lurking behind the door, listening to every word they said. Kind of scary how he always showed up when he wasn't supposed to, eh?  
  
"Granger's not afraid of me anymore? Hmm... I could definitely take advantage of this... Yes, I think I will..." Malfoy said thoughtfully and walked away, just as the train pulled up at the Hogsmeade station.  
  
---  
  
Ooh, what is Draco thinking? Will he use his newfound information for good or evil? You'll have to wait and find out! ;] I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than the last one, because well... I wasn't too happy about the size of it. I will try to make the chapters grow and grow as the story progresses. I didn't expect to have this chapter be about the train ride... I'm sure none of you did. But Next chapter we get to see Hermione's dorms with Draco. Yay. I'm especially excited about describing their bathroom ;] Don't even ask why... I don't know. :[ hehe. Oh by the way, I'm a firm believer that Ron and Hermione will be together in the books... I just like writing about other stuff! Please dont hate me. ;] Well, I would like to say thanks to my reviewers, I'll list you all in my next chapter. Hopefully I'll get more... ah well. Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming! :]  
  
Sara – Skytheuplight - 


	3. Chapter Three

Author's note - thanks to **may-ann**, **XxAnimeLover14xX**, **DragonSpirit7037**, **FeltonFangirl**, **kole17**, **onewayticket**, and a special thanks to **Lides** for being my first review, along with **GoddessMoonstone** because you made me smile :) Thank you all!  
  
---  
  
Hermione made her way back over to Ron and Harry after saying temporary good-byes to Ginny and the others. She saw them making their way over to Hagrid, how could she miss Ron, whose bright red head stood about three inches above the rest?   
  
"Hey guys! Over here!" she yelled, trying to get their attention. They looked over at her and smiled, waved, and walked away. "What was that all about?" she said, not even realizing that she said it out loud.  
  
"What was what all about, Hermione?" Ginny asked, seeing her friend all alone.  
  
"Ron and Harry. They just left me. I can't understand why they would do that..." she said, drifting off.  
  
"Oh well, we'll just go and find them. Maybe they just didn't realize you were looking for them," Ginny said, turning to walk in the direction Harry and Ron walked off in.  
  
"Ginny, I called them over here. They saw me, waved, and walked away. Now if that isn't unusual behavior, I don't know what is," Hermione said with a frown.  
  
"Well, still, let's go find them. If they meant to ignore you, I'll yell at them. If they didn't then we can ride with them to Hogwarts," she said, trying to make the best of everything, like usual.  
  
They walked to the compartment they saw Ron and Harry disappear into. When they got there, they were shocked to say the least. Sitting right next to Ron was Lavender, and Ron didn't look to upset about it. He actually looked down right embarrassed. Hermione decided that she could use this for blackmail in the future.  
  
Harry was all by himself, but didn't seem to be noticing the fact that no one was paying attention to him. Hermione knew he was deep in thought. Ginny walked over to him, and Hermione followed.  
  
"Hello Harry, what were you thinking about?" Ginny asked, in an attempt to start conversation. He looked up at her.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Just spacing out a bit," he gave her a sheepish smile.   
  
"Well, we were just wondering ... is something going on? I mean, why did you just leave Hermione like that? That was kinda messed up," she said, frowning. Harry blushed.  
  
"Well, Ron spotted Lavender up ahead and said that we should go talk to her. And then when Hermione called over to us, I saw you coming," he blushed at this, Hermione did not fail to notice, "and so we figured that you two would ride to the castle together, Hermione wasn't with us on the train with us very much, we figured she just wanted to hang out with you girls," he stated.  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry I gave you that impression, but of course I wanted to ride with you to the castle. I have been riding with you since second year!" Hermione said. "I think we have something to talk about when the opportune moment comes up," she said, looking significantly at Ginny. He blushed even more. Ginny looked over at then, smirked, and leaned in.  
  
"Since when have they been so interested in each other? This entire time they've been wrapped up in conversation. That is not like Ron at all, to be talking to a girl he likes so much," Ginny said, smiling at her brother.  
  
"Well, on the train ride here, while you all were off having some of your 'girl talk' we were having our own 'guy talk.' We all told Ron that he should just talk to her, and we told him that she would get away if he didn't. That seemed to motivate him a little..." Harry said, looking at his friend and Lavender. "She doesn't seem to mind, though, does she?" he said, with a laugh. This caused them to look over.  
  
"Oy, what are you looking at?" Ron asked, starting to get red in the face.  
  
"Well, not you, Ron, you're sitting right in front of the window!" Hermione said, stopping him from thinking they were talking about him, although they were.  
  
"All right, but look out a different one from now on, please! I don't like people looking at me, or near me," he said, turning back to Lavender and engaging her in conversation once again.  
  
---  
  
When they got out of the carriages, Hermione was shocked once again. Coming out of the next one was Seamus, accompanied by Parvati, Neville, accompanied by Luna, and Dean, accompanied by Padma. Hermione let out a laugh, and received a strange look from Harry.  
  
They walked up to the castle, and once again Hermione got to thinking. This was her last carriage ride at Hogwarts. She was glad that she was with Ron, Harry, and Ginny. She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. She couldn't believe she was actually thinking "this is the last..." when it was the beginning of the year. They reached the Great Hall, and walked through the large doors to get ready to eat their beginning of year feast.  
  
She watched as the first years got sorted and couldn't believe that only six years ago that was her up there. She was so nervous when she heard her name called, and as soon as she sat down all she was thinking was "Please just put me in a House where I'll make good friends." And now she was the one to be directing them back to the common room. The common room. She couldn't believe that she would never spend any more time in there. She had so many memories from Gryffindor Tower, she would have to spend a few nights in there with Ginny, just for old time's sake. Dumbledore stood up as soon as all of the new students were sorted.  
  
"Welcome, old and new, to another year at Hogwarts. I would just like to make a few announcements before we have this excellent feast on such an excellent day as this.  
  
"A warning to new students, and a reminder to ... troublesome old students," Harry, Ron and Hermione grinned at each other, "the Forbidden Forest is just that. Forbidden. Unless a teacher brings you in, and I assure that few will," the trio looked over at Hagrid now, "you must not enter. I would also like to announce to you all that this year we will be having a Christmas ball, because I believe you all deserve it. Those able to attend will be from fourth year and above," there were many groans at this. "I am sorry, but you will all get your turn. Now, I do believe that I am done talking right now. Enjoy the feast!" he raised his arms and the food appeared. Hermione loved watching the faces of the new first years. Precious.  
  
---  
  
When the feast was over, Hermione and the other prefects met up in the new common room for a little meeting, as arranged by Professor McGonagall. Hermione did not even get into her room before she was stopped by the rest.  
  
When she first arrived, she scanned the room. There were four couches, one bearing the colors for each House. She noticed a fifth couch. It was a mixture of red and green, Hermione guessed that this would be hers and Malfoy's couch, though she was almost sure they would never be caught dead on that couch together. There were also plenty of chairs scattered about the room, as well as five tables, where she assumed a lot of studying would get done during the year.   
  
The fireplace itself was very beautiful. Instead of burning a normal color of orange - red, this fire burnt a beautiful shade of green. It was like looking at a flame that had floo - powder in it permanently. She watched the fire for several moments before she pulled herself out of her daze.  
  
The walls were colored in red, green, blue, and yellow. Portraits of Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hulfflepuff, Rowena Ravnclaw, and Salazar Slytherin adorned the walls. You could tell these paintings were made early in the foundation of Hogwarts, as Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin could be seen shaking hands and laughing together. Hermione did agree with Professor Dumbledore in trying to go back to these times, when House didn't matter. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Professor McGonagall called them all to attention by the fireplace.  
  
"Prefects, I would just like to go through your responsibilities with you briefly. Bare with me, please. You should all know, I hope, that you will be patrolling the halls every once in a while, and that you are allowed to punish students whenever you see fit. But you must know now that if you are caught abusing your power, you can have your badge taken from you..." she went on, but Hermione wasn't paying attention. She knew all of this already. She looked around the common room some more.   
  
Hermione really wondered if the Prefects would actually be in here throughout the year. She thought that of course they would like a place to go that wasn't crowded or anything. But not all of these people were known to be friends, though she could see no enemies besides her and Malfoy. She hoped that these people could all become friends, it would be nice considering that at one point they would all be living here together. Her own name brought her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Now, Granger, Malfoy. I would like to set some ground rules, as you will be the first students to ever live outside of your House dormitories. First, you will have no guests sleep over. We have the rooms charmed so that if anyone but you two are sleeping in your rooms, we will know. But we trust you both enough not to do anything of that sort. The next rule is that while you may give the password out to three select friends, they may only stay here until eleven o'clock. Do you both understand that?" they both nodded. "Good. Now you two must know that we are basing our opinion to place the Prefects in this room on your actions. If you mess up, you will be sent back to your own common rooms and we will not allow the Prefects to come and live here for the rest of the year. We have faith in you, do not let us down. I believe that is all I have to say, get some rest tonight and enjoy your rooms. Your names are above the doors to the rooms in which you will stay. Good night all, Prefects, make your ways out by eleven. Thank you," with her last words, she left.   
  
The Prefects decided to go and get back to their own common rooms and let the two Heads explore their own rooms. Hermione did have to admit she was glad, having to entertain those eight did not look like her idea of fun. And she wanted to see her bedroom!  
  
When she walked down the hallway, she saw two large French doors, with the name H. Granger over them. As soon as she opened the door she let out a gasp. This was the most elegant room she had laid eyes on.   
  
The walls were, once again, decorated in portraits, though this time of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hermione wondered how Dumbledore got a hold of the pictures to create these portraits, but in a way she didn't want to know. When she looked beyond the portraits, she saw a wallpaper of deep red, with the Gryffindor crest on it. The border was of lions crawling around the castle, and because this was Hogwarts, the lions were, in fact, moving. She turned her head to look at the room itself.  
  
The first thing she caught sight of was the bed. It was huge! It looked to be about a king sized bed, with a comforter of the same shade of red as the walls. It was decorated by a large Hogwarts crest in the middle, and was lined in gold. The throw pillows, she thought there had to be 15 at least, were the same shade of gold as the lining. She went over and jumped on the bed, a large grin on her face. As soon as she got comfortable on the bed, it didn't really take very long, she took another look around the room.  
  
There were two big arm chairs, one red and one gold, surrounding a large table. The table was once again engraved with the Gryffindor crest, and Hermione could recognize the cover of Hogwarts: A History on top of it. She knew she would be spending a long time just sitting there, reading. On the other side of the room, there was a door. She supposed this lead to the bathroom. Although she never wanted to leave this bed, she really wanted to go and see the bathroom.  
  
As she walked through the door, the scent of green apple, her favorite, filled her nose. She stood there for a minute, eyes closed, and took in the delicious smell. She didn't realize she had been standing there for so long until she heard someone opening one of the other two doors. It was Malfoy. What was he doing in here? Of course, this was his bathroom, too.  
  
"Granger, why are you just standing there with your nose in the air?" he asked, but did stop and smell the room. "Green apple, my favorite," he said, at exactly the same time that she said "It's green apple, my favorite." They looked at each other for a minute, then decided to look around.  
  
The walls were decorated in red, white and green. They looked like Christmas colors to Hermione, but they were still beautiful. (Did you happen to notice that Hermione always notices the walls first...?) She noticed that in this room there were no portraits, and she was glad. Can you imagine having to use the loo with someone looking at you?  
  
The floors were made of marble, not stone like the rest of the castle. There were two sinks, one on each side of the room. Hers was not a red or gold, but a lovely white marble, as was his. She was glad, a red or green sink would have been too tacky. The toilet was white also, but that was nothing special.  
  
The real sight to be seen was the bathtub. It looked like a giant Jacuzzi, you could see the jets all around it. There were four taps, two on either side of the tub. She went over to the taps by her door, and they read "Green apple" and "Bubble." Someone knew her two favorite types of bath. She knew that she would definitely try both of these before the night was over.  
  
When she looked around again, she saw that Malfoy was just as interested int he bathroom as she was. She saw where he was looking and turned around. There was a large chest there, she couldn't imagine why that would be in the bathroom. She turned around and gave him a questioning look, and he walked over to it. She quickly followed.  
  
He opened the door at the top, first. What he found was two different robes, one green and one red. They looked behind them and saw 14 towels of green, silver, gold and red. He opened the first drawer at the top, labeled D. Malfoy. He saw shaving creams, razors, hair gel, shampoo and conditioner for men, and all the bathroom necessities, for a guy at least. Hermione saw that the next drawer was labeled H. Granger, and leaned forward to open it. She didn't fail to notice that she had rubbed her hand against Malfoy's, and neither did he.   
  
What she saw in her drawer was much different from Malfoy's. It looked like it had been magically extended to fit her supplies. The first thing she noticed was that all of her make up from her trunks had been transferred to this drawer. She didn't carry much with her, all she really used was eye shadow, liner, and the occasional lip gloss. But she still needed variety, so all of it was there. She also noticed that all of her shampoos and conditioners were there, along with all the body soaps and lotions she had brought. There were also plenty of face cleaners, moisturizers, and different things to keep clean. She was definitely a girl, and girls like to keep clean.  
  
"Geez Granger, I never realized how superficial you were," Malfoy sneered. She had forgotten he was there for a minute.  
  
"Sod off, Malfoy. Just because I like to make sure I'm clean and you don't doesn't mean that I'm superficial," she said, turning away from him and pulling open the third drawer.  
  
She saw this drawer was nearly empty. It only held one piece of paper. Hermione picked it up and read it aloud.  
  
"_This drawer will fill over time, but to actually see into this, you must learn to be united. Unity is the key_," she said. "Well, that makes no sense at all."  
  
"Of course it does, Dumbledore wants us to become friends, and when we do the drawer will show it self. Fat chance of ever seeing what's in that drawer, Granger," Malfoy said with a smirk and exited the room.  
  
"Bloody git," she said, and went over to the door he just exited to lock it and the one that lead in from the hallway. She decided that it was time to enjoy the first bath in this lovely bathroom, and went over to get herself a towel. She chose the red one, as it was her favorite color.  
  
As she lowered herself into the steaming bubble bath water, she thought 'This really is going to be a very good year' and sunk beneath the surface.  
  
---  
  
Author's note - Hey guys! I'm so sorry this chapter has been delayed, but I had to work really hard on getting my house ready for my sister's 17th birthday party. That was fun. But anyway, this chapter turned out to be a bit longer than the others, I think, and I'm glad about that. The bathroom scene didn't please me too much, but it'll have to do. I just wanted to clear up the fact that I didn't add too much detail to the first chapters because I didn't want to get too far into that, but this and the next few chapters will be filled with plenty of descriptions so you needn't worry. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, please Review! :)  
  
- Sara - Skytheuplight - 


	4. Chapter Four

Hey guys - this will be a small author's note and then onto the chapter. I'm sorry for taking so long, again, to update. Things have just been hectic and I will not take this long to update again. Also, I think I'm gonna update every 10 or more reviews ... because I don't want to have a small amount and stuff. I'm sorry if that seems shallow, but yeah. Thank you to all of my reviewers so far. You guys don't know how much you mean to me! :) Ok so I guess this author's note wasn't so short, Lol.  
  
Oh yeah, and I'm going to start this chapter out in Draco's point of view, I'll be switching between the two of them every so often, but mostly this story will mostly stay in Hermione's POV. I think it'll be obvious when they switch POV's. Later :)  
  
---  
  
Draco woke up in his room and looked around once again. What he saw made him smile again, even if he had all ready slept in the room. The walls were, of course, green and the boarder was of a silver serpent joining with another green serpent. They just slithered around the room, and were really quite fascinating to watch.  
  
He had two arm chairs, like he supposed Granger did, of silver and green. The desk was fairly large with the Slytherin logo imprinted in the middle. There were portraits of Salazar Slytherin in this room, and, surprisingly, one of those included Godric Gryffindor sitting at a table looking very deep in conversation.  
  
His favorite thing in this entire room, though, was the bed. Come on, what 17 year old would not enjoy having a large bed with curtains to have even more privacy? He loved the feel of velvet, so the curtains were approved of in his case. He didn't think he would feel the need to ever shut them, though, but he still loved having them. And the bed itself was to die for. He hadn't gotten such a great night's sleep in years, before he came to Hogwarts.  
  
He looked at the time, 7:30. He had classes at 9:00 so he decided to get up and take a shower while he still had the chance.  
  
He walked over to the door leading to the bathroom, right next to the painting of Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor. He turned to his right and saw that the chest was right next to his door. He went to the drawer labeled D. Malfoy and took out the necessary soaps for his shower. He walked over to Granger's door and locked it, wouldn't want her to walk in when he was in the shower.  
  
He put on the steaming hot water and let it flow over him. He wished he had time to take a nice relaxing bath, but he thought he would stay in forever if he did go in now, and that just wouldn't do on the first day of lessons.  
  
He got out and walked over to the mirror. He combed his hair, now about the length it had been since third year. It about hung to his ears, and he had to admit, he looked good. He thought a little further.  
  
'Hmm. Ever since I started working out I've noticed a lot of girls looking at me,' he thought, and looked in the mirror. He had a nice chiseled chest, and he had worked very hard over the summer after fifth year to get a six pack. His skin had also gotten some color, surprisingly he did not work for that. His father was shocked when he came back from Rome with his mother. He had grown about three inches during the previous summer. Some would say he was too tall, but he knew that to be 6'3 was just about the perfect height. He was glad he wasn't quite as lanky as the Weasel, he would have to cut his legs off from embarrassment. 'I wish that the girls who didn't sleep around paid more attention to me. It would be a lot more difficult for me to get them if they didn't just like me for my looks,' he thought. 'But then again, most of the intelligent girls wouldn't want me because they'd think I was just in it for the sex. Oh well. Their loss.'  
  
He walked over to Granger's door, considered leaving it locked, but eventually unlocked it and walked over to his room to get dressed for the day.  
  
All he was wearing was a towel, so he went over to look in the full-length mirror attached to the wardrobe. His chest needed a little work, in his opinion, but it would do for now. He just couldn't wait for Quidditch to start again, so he could have a reason to start working out again without looking too into himself. But he was Draco Malfoy, did he really care what other people thought? Nah.  
  
He chose his newest set of robes, a little tighter in the chest area as to allow more ladies to drool over him. The serpent was charmed to slither around, you didn't find that on many school robes. In fact, he was the first to ever think about it, or want it, in many years. He put on his new shoes, imported from Italy, on over his regular black socks, and walked out of the room to eat breakfast.  
  
---  
  
Hermione woke up at 7:45. She decided that she had time, and figured she could wait a little longer to get out of this miracle bed. And anyway, she heard the shower running, so she really didn't have a choice.  
  
She walked around her room, waiting for the water to turn off, he took really long showers. She decided to walk around the common room and get some coffee from the mini-kitchen.   
  
She really loved to drink coffee in the morning, the fresh brewed, French vanilla goodness of it just made her feel alive. When she was done with her coffee, she washed the cup and walked back down the hallway. It was now 7:53, and she didn't hear the shower running, so she walked into the room.  
  
At first she thought the room was empty, but she looked over at the sink area, and saw Draco Malfoy looking in the mirror, seemingly deep in thought. She took this opportunity to see what all of the girls were drooling over.  
  
His chest was ... delicious. He wasn't pale at all, surprisingly, and he had a very defined six pack. Hermione always had a thing for built men, and she had to admit that this was a sight for sore eyes. She couldn't believe the boy - no, man - in front of her was actually Draco Malfoy. He was just plain hot. And his hair really did look very good wet, and the fact that he was just in a towel made Hermione quite happy.  
  
She decided that she was done watching him, and if she did any longer she would most likely get caught. She walked back to her room through the hallway and went to the door to the bathroom from her room. It was locked. 'Just as well, wouldn't want me walking in on him doing that,' she thought, with a smirk. She heard the door unlock and nearly jumped. She hoped he hadn't noticed her looking. She waited a minute and then went into the bathroom, so not to meet up with Mr. Malfoy once again.  
  
Walking to the chest in the bathroom, she thought that she should not have been having those thoughts. That was Draco Malfoy. He was the scum of the Earth, and she should have nothing to do with him. His personality was terrible, but he sure had a hot body.  
  
When she opened the drawer she took out the necessary things - shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a razor. When she stepped into the shower, letting the water flow over her body, all she could think was 'I'm so glad to be back.'  
  
Once she was out of the shower, she walked over to get a towel and dried herself off. She didn't have time to manually dry her hair, so she used a small charm to dry and straighten her hair. Ever since she had been of age she had been trying everything on her hair to make it stay down. She loved being a Witch.  
  
She opened the drawer, put her shower things back in, and took out her make-up for the day. She selected black eyeliner - that was the only shade of eye liner she ever used, unless she felt like a bright color - and some eye shadow of a deep crimson. When she was done with her make-up, she evaluated herself in the mirror.  
  
Her hair looked like it had been worked on too much. She decided that she wanted to go for the 'I just woke up but am still looking good' look, and messed up her hair just the smallest amount. Her eyes were looking good, she mused. Of all things on her body her eyes were perhaps her favorite.   
  
She went back into her room and chose one of her older uniforms. It didn't look old, but was short and tight, and that's how she liked it. She put on her favorite anklet and her shoes and socks. When she looked in the mirror, she decided that she was ready for the first day back at school. She just wondered what everyone else would think. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was 8:15, time for breakfast. She grabbed her books and walked out through the portrait.  
  
---  
  
Draco walked into the Great Hall and looked over at the Slytherin table. He saw Crabbe and Goyle sitting at the end, looking around at the rest of the Slytherins. Ever since the war, Slytherin had split in half. Some of the families in this House truly were on the Dark side, but the children did not want to follow in their parent's footsteps. So when the war rolled around, and people's real loyalties were shown, the students from Slytherin were divided between those who truly did want to be on the Dark side and those who didn't want to go just because their fathers or mothers were Dark wizards.  
  
Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle and many more chose the latter. Draco had been told all his life that on his seventeenth birthday, when he became of age, he would receive the Dark Mark just like his father. Well, Draco did not want to receive the Dark Mark, so when the time came, he went to Dumbledore.  
  
Professor Dumbledore accepted him and his friends immediately. He set up a home for them, knowing that once they betrayed their parents they could not go back home. Draco's mother was with him, but could not show herself to Lucius. She helped pay for the house, little by little, and said that she had spent the money on repairing their own manor. She said that she was fixing up a surprise for him in the basement, but not to go down. He trusted Narcissa and did not. What he didn't know that Narcissa planned on moving out to the Safe House with all of the teenagers, and was just setting it up. She also invited a lot of wives of Dark Wizards to come and join, but only the ones she could trust. Draco was glad she and Dumbledore had set this up, or a lot of people would be abandoned and disowned. Draco already was disowned, but at least now he had a place to stay.  
  
But that was beside the point. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting with the half of Slytherin that had fought on the Light side of the war during sixth year. There were a few of the people on the Dark side there, too, as they had not fought, but still stayed true to their families. Blaise Zabini (A/N: I'm making Blaise a guy in this fic, he'll play an important role) did not choose to stay with the Dark, mainly because Draco was his best friend and was brave enough to stand up to Lucius, so Blaise stood up to his father because of Draco's strength. Blaise was Draco's roommate in the Safe House, and he was the one Draco confided in when times were down. Draco trusted no one more than he trusted Blaise.  
  
Draco walked over to where Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise were sitting. "Hey guys," he said.  
  
"Draco, there you are. I've been looking for you all morning. What took you so long to get here?" Blaise questioned.  
  
"I woke up a little late and then took a shower. Why?" Draco asked.  
  
"Because we have things to discuss," Blaise said, a significant look at Crabbe and Goyle. "I had begun to think you were doing something with Ms. Granger girl over there," he looked toward the door. Granger had just walked in.  
  
Draco looked her up and down. He couldn't even believe that what he was looking at was the same Granger he had been teasing since first year. Why hadn't he seen this before? He lived in the same dorm as her, for Merlin's sake.  
  
She looked like she had lost the baby fat in her face, which was a very good thing. She was wearing a tight robe today, so Draco could see that she was no where near overweight, but never had been. Draco's eyes wandered down to her legs, she had definitely grown taller and her legs longer. They were long, thin and tanned. Draco had a thing for girls with great legs, and this girl definitely had great legs. When she walked past him, Draco just had to look at her ass. 'Very nice, Granger' he thought with a grin. She looked up at him, and he raised his eyes to hers. 'Wow. Those eyes...' he thought. He knew that she noticed him checking her out, which is why it surprised him when she just winked and sat down. Draco looked back over to Blaise, who had a smirk planted firmly on his face.  
  
"She may be a Mudblood, but damn," he said, with a laugh and another look at Granger.  
  
"You're exactly right. She is a Mudblood, which is why we are not talking about her any longer," Draco said, finishing off his food and exiting the room, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. He couldn't wait to get back to his common room.  
  
---  
  
I'm so sorry! This chapter is SO short, I know, but my next chapter will be coming much quicker than this one. Please Review! Thanks :)  
  
Sara - SkyTheUpLight - 


	5. Author's Note Importante

As of right now, I cannot continue this story. I will, possibly, continue on ' harry potter fanfiction . com ' (spaces because it's a link and ff.net won't allow them....) but until now, This story is discontinued.  
  
My computer is picking up viruses (I've received 18 just in the past week) from this site, and I'm taking a risk just by going to it right now. My penname for hpff. com is going to be the same, skytheuplight. I'll update something on this site if I am to publish there. I'm truly sorry, guys.  
  
I love you all, thank you so much for all of the support!  
  
33 Sara - SkyTheUpLight - 


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